


Invincible

by musicalsmarvelandmore



Series: Newsies (Mostly Sprace) One Shots [9]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Feels, Anxious Racetrack Higgins, Boys In Love, Fluff, Hurt Spot, Introspection, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:01:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicalsmarvelandmore/pseuds/musicalsmarvelandmore
Summary: Spot was the king of Brooklyn, but that didn't make him invincible. Race worries as he deals with the aftermath.
Relationships: Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Series: Newsies (Mostly Sprace) One Shots [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593484
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Invincible

Spot was the king of Brooklyn. That didn't make him invincible, but Race had always assumed that made him pretty close.

He knew it was dumb, but Spot was the bravest and strongest person that Race had ever met. Spot should be able to take care of everything.

That might be why he wasn't expecting to see this.

Spot wasn't supposed to be hurt, ever.

Race rubbed a cool cloth over Spot's head, wiping away the sweat. He almost had a memory of his mother doing that for him, way back before, even before he had met Spot.

He had no idea how to take care of someone, but this was Spot. Race would do anything for him. It didn't matter how ready or not he felt for it. Spot was hurt.

It wasn't Race's fault, which was weirdly a relief. And Spot wasn't in danger, not anymore. He had won the fight, a fight that Race didn't even know had happened until after.

He hadn't known that Spot was hurt either, not until one of the Brooklyn boys showed up at Sheepshead to escort Race to Brooklyn lodging. He had been there a hundred times, but this was the first time that Spot hadn't brought him there or greeted him at the door.

Spot's second in command glared at Race when he entered but did nothing to stop Race from making his way up to Spot's bunk, which was where he was now.

He still wasn't sure what had happened, but that was fine. He didn't need to know. Spot would tell him the details, once he woke up.

If he woke up.

Race shook that thought away. He couldn't think like that. He had to be the positive one here, no matter what else was going on in the world around them. He had to be the one to take care of everything, to take care of Spot, to make sure everything was going to be okay.

That didn't change the fact that it was absolutely terrifying to witness Spot in such a state.

Spot fought, but he always came up on top. Technically, he had won this time, but it didn’t feel like he did. Maybe Race was the one that lost, as he panicked in a small room with his unconscious boyfriend.

Spot fought. That was what Spot did, but every time before this time, when Race saw him, he was fine. Maybe a little bruised or sore, but Race would never act like he was taking any sort of particular care around him. Spot would hate that. He never treated Spot with any visible caution.

Spot could always take care of himself. It was as if the other boy was invincible. Now, he had been taken back down to earth, and Race came tumbling after.

None of this was any fair, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Spot would still be lying far too still in this bed, and Race wasn't going to leave him. Not now, and not ever.

He wanted to do what Spot would have wanted him to do, but honestly, what Spot wanted didn't matter while he was still unconscious. If he woke up and told Race to leave, Race would leave, no matter how much guilt he'd feel because of it. Because he belonged here, at his boyfriend's side.

Their relationship was odd. They didn't really talk about it much. Spot had never been one for words, and while Race had plenty of words, he never had the right ones. This was just the way that these things were going to have to be.

But Race had never regretted those facts more than right now. Because Spot was supposed to be invincible, like Race's own personal superhero. The king of Brooklyn. And now, he was lying in his bed and Race didn't know what was wrong. There were so many things he should have said, even if the other boy didn't want to say them back. Because Race did want to say them. He never felt ready but right now, he was just scared and he didn't even know what it was that he was supposed to be doing anymore.

His hands were shaking. Usually when his hands shook, he'd smoke but he didn't want to leave Spot's side, not until the other boy woke up. He was overwhelmed. There wasn't really anything that Race could do, but it just had to be enough. They were just two kids, but that was just going to have to be good enough. Things were never going to be easy.

He didn't know if he could do this. But he had to. So, Race wiped sweat away from Spot's brow. He never wanted to see Spot hurt like this again, but it was better to see him hurt than never know if the other boy was okay. So many things were uncertain in this world, but they just had to find the people they could rely on. That didn't make it any easier for Race to see his boy like that.

Race just had to keep going. It was his turn to be the strong one.

In their past together, how many times had Race been the one to get hurt and then Spot had to figure out some way to take care of it? Pretty often. Race was clumsy in the best circumstances, and traveling so far every day had led to many situations that were best left forgotten. But every time that stuff had gone down, Spot always ended up at his side. Protecting him, taking care of him in the very unique way that only Spot Conlon did.

Race had no idea how the other boy could do it. This itself, it was just so bad. He wasn't handling it well. The only person he wanted to talk about this with was Spot, and obviously that wasn't going to be able to happen right now.

The whole situation sucked, but right now, he just had to deal. To wipe the sweat off Spot's forehead. To keep an eye on him. To make sure everything was going to be okay. To be there to say goodbye if it wasn't.

Race wasn't sure how many hours he sat there, scared out of his mind that something had gone terribly wrong. Looking down at the bruised and semi broken form of his boyfriend, lying far too stiff on his bunk. He didn't know what time he had gotten there either. It had slipped his mind to tell Jack, but there was no way that he'd be leaving Spot now. Surely someone had it covered. If not, then Race would just have to deal with that later. He had far more important things to do right now than put up with the rest of this. It might not be fair, but that didn't make the sentiment any less true.

If Spot wasn't going to make it, then there was no way that Race was going to leave him.

Spot's limp body was lying on the bed, Race sitting on the floor next to him, occasionally kneeling to wipe at his boyfriend's cold sweaty face. He would do anything for that boy, but right now, this was all that he could do.

He was dozing on and off, fighting the urge to fall asleep. He had to stay awake all night. If this was going to be the end, then Race had to be here. He didn't know if that was for Spot's sake or his own, but at some point, that difference was irrelevant. It was the two of them together, as a team. Race would do anything for the other boy, follow him anywhere.

Race jerked awake at the sound of a low moan. "Spot?" he whispered, his eyes sweeping over Spot's slack face, in hopes that anything had changed and that this all was going to get better.

His mouth moved, and another groan came out. The boy on the bed didn't bother to open his eyes. "Racer? Wha' happ'n'd?"

He was slurring his words slightly, either from the hits or his exhaustion, Race didn't care. He pressed his lips against his boyfriend's, trying to remain cognizant of his injuries, but overjoyed as his heart soared to have his boyfriend back with him.

Spot might not be invincible, but right now, all that mattered was that he was going to be okay. He'd go back to his role as king of Brooklyn once he recovered enough to move. But he'd never stop being the love of Race’s life.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, this turned out way sweeter than it was supposed to but I figured it was time for Spot to get some whump. I just finished my last exam today so hopefully I'll actually have the time to post more. Thank you to everyone whose been reading.


End file.
